I eat for energy, mood, and optimal body fat, just as the title implies. In addition to that, I eat for pleasure. I hope you do too! We should love our food and what it does for us. I also eat for convenience. Betty homemaker I’m not. Even when I pretended I was, I really wasn’t. That exhausted me!
Still, I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen, even though it’s just me most of the time right now. I love to play with food. I prefer to make it and know what goes in it was recently alive. I like using simple, good, whole food. I’m in Boulder, Colorado and I’ve never in my life had it so easy to eat out and eat well for health. Even so, there’s something about making it in my kitchen that I like.
This post is at the request of Flipping 50 community members who’ve said, “It would be really helpful to see what you eat in a day.” So, here it is. Know that no two days are exactly the same but I do eat similar breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Your body loves routine. I eat more or eat less depending on my energy needs and schedule. If I’m training then my energy needs are higher and there may be an additional meal or smoothie in there.
How I eat for energy, mood, and optimal body fat
4:30am
Here’s how it starts… after a tall glass of water, usually with fresh squeezed lemon or if I’m out, a little apple cider vinegar, I have a cup of coffee. I alternate using coconut cream, ghee, Bulletproof, and usually add a few drops of liquid stevia in my coffee.
I’m a two cup (let’s be honest: mug) girl. So between cups I have another tall glass of pure filtered
water.
8:00 am
I’ve worked for a couple hours at least by the time I think about exercise. I’m definitely ready for something to eat. I hate being distracted by hunger, which reduces the effort I can put in during exercise. So I usually have a little nut butter on sweet potato slices, or gluten-free rice cakes (Lundberg). No images available but I recently shared a sweet potato & nut butter sandwich image on Instagram.
I might have a smoothie that’s low fat and low fiber to keep me satisfied through the workout but not be a digestive nightmare while exercising. Post-
workout I’ll wait an hour if it was an intense or long enough workout. Light to moderate workouts don’t require as much special timing or need compensation after either.
A quick pre-exercise green smoothie might have:
- coconut yogurt
- romaine
- lime juice
- green apple
- kiwi
- Vanilla Plant Power protein\
- lime juice
- pure filtered water
10:00am – 12 noon (depending on the day and workout)
After a moderate to vigorous intensity workout (in addition to any food I’ve needed during – on long 
bike rides or runs I have some low sugar bars during at calculated times according to my energy needs), I’ll have a meal 60-90 minutes post exercise. If it’s timed right for a meal, I may have one, or if my stomach isn’t ready for food yet, I’l have a smoothie first that’s much more like a meal than the pre-exercise one, and then have a meal a bit later. I eat for energy here but also love the taste and the fact I’m eating fresh foods rich in color.
This one:
- Chocolate Paleo Power protein
- Unsweetened Almond milk
- 1/4 avocado (anti-inflammatory)
- dash cinnamon (anti-inflammatory)
- 1-2 handfuls spinach
- 1 T cacao powder (anti-inflammatory)
- mixed berries (anti-oxidants)
- Toppings: Activated granola (probiotics and low sugar by Living Intentions), raw coconut, berries
12:00 (if I haven’t had the smoothie bowl and a bit later if I have)
If I have an appetite for more on an active day, I might have a bowl of soup. Or the soup would have easily been my lunch had I not had the smoothie. This is a favorite. And yes, sometimes I need a fast fix if I haven’t got a soup at home, I’ll get pho, made with veggies and add chicken. It’s perfect post a big workout. I’ll top that with avocado or shake some hemp hearts on this (healthy fat and a little more protein).
I don’t typically need or want an afternoon snack if I’ve had adequate fat and fiber, protein and the right amount of carbs at breakfast and lunch, so there’s no snacks listed. If I eat for energy at the meals I eat, I don’t crave. It’s not willpower or discipline, it just is. If I do want or need something I’ll have a cup of bone broth – or two – and it’s warm and comforting plus adds some protein to my day.
5:30pm
Dinner is definitely comfort food with more healthy carbs. This is where I’ll make something at home. I
rarely eat dinner out. I eat for energy for tomorrow at this meal. I’m a morning exerciser most of the time and so what I eat the night before will determine how well I feel in the morning. I usually have a couple of the thighs and fill a plate with the veggies and apple slices! I love this dish.
This is from the Flipping 50 Community Cookbook. The recipes I share with you are the ones I use… no kidding! This one pan dish has chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, apples, onions, and its delicious. Plus, rosemary makes the house smell amazing. Oh, and it has bacon on it. There is plenty of protein and fat, fiber and carbohydrates in this one dish wonder. A batch makes plenty for one meal now and a few later this week and a couple for the freezer too if you’re cooking for one.
I close the kitchen after dinner. Rarely do I even want something but when I do it’s actual hunger not a craving. I usually don’t have anything. I know I won’t sleep well if I eat late and it’s just not worth it.
*keep in mind I’ve been training for some endurance events. When I cut back to moderate duration exercise the need for a second smoothie will be gone. Even so, that’s the major change. The other increased need for food is during the actual training and I haven’t included that. It’s unique to each individual athlete I work with.
If you have 20 or more pounds to lose, you should begin eating like an athlete. We call it metabolic efficiency. It’s a shift to help your body burn more fat for fuel, without struggle, deprivation, or the old
“diet” mentality. That, in fact, is the hardest part of the program: learning not to struggle and push but to nurture and enjoy food again. The right food, the right time. The right exercise, the right time. Need some support? Right now.. you can save a spot at 50% off… AND get private access to me weekly. Fit -U. It’s not just about weight. Free yourself from whatever you’re carrying around.
